ePrize Announces Acquisition of Mobile Solutions Company
Digital marketing agency predicts 80 percent of campaigns will include mobile component in 2012
PLEASANT RIDGE, Mich., January 19, 2012 – ePrize, a digital engagement agency specializing in interactive mobile, social media, and web campaigns — today announced the acquisition of Cellit, a Chicago-based mobile marketing agency.
Cellit’s expertise in mobile marketing and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions include short message services (SMS), mobile-optimized sites and mobile applications, which will position ePrize to capture the growing mobile market.
“Rapid consumer adoption of mobile technology is, fundamentally changing how brands engage and inform the public about new products and services,” said Matt Wise, ePrize CEO. “MMA Global reported that 83 percent of mobile users take their phones with them everywhere; and CTIA reports that 74 million people in the U.S. have opted in to text messages from marketers. Brands with a mobile component in their campaign have a huge opportunity to capture consumers wherever they are and whenever they’re ready.”
In 2012, ePrize expects mobile revenue to triple as a result of the Cellit acquisition. As the agency that administers four times more national promotions than any other company, ePrize forecasts that 80 percent of campaigns will incorporate a mobile component developed by ePrize by the end of 2012, growing from 20 percent in 2011.
“Major brands understand the value in engaging the consumer via their mobile device,” said David Wachs, Cellit founder. “They have moved beyond testing mobile programs in silos and are now implementing robust, multi-channel marketing solutions. The combination of capabilities from both ePrize and Cellit allow us to bring holistic, multi-channel solutions to market that drive customer engagement and loyalty, while creating a single customer profile for the brand. Cellit client case studies show that mobile offers drive 15-to-20 times the response rate of typical coupons and eight times the response rate of email.”
Cellit will enhance the current ePrize promotion, loyalty and re-contact offerings; enable ongoing customer relationship management via text-messaging platforms; and allow promotions and loyalty programs to integrate with in-store marketing efforts and point-of-sale systems.
This marks the second acquisition in six months for ePrize, after acquiring the customer relationship management division of Apollo Data Technologies in July 2011.
Through the acquisition, Cellit now is a division of ePrize named “Cellit: ePrize Mobile Solutions.” David Wachs, founder and president of Cellit, has joined the ePrize executive team as senior vice president of Mobile, and general manager of Cellit. Cellit offices and the company’s 16 employees will remain in Chicago, with plans to combine office space with ePrize’s Chicago team in the near future.
Portico Capital Securities served as the exclusive financial advisor to Cellit on the transaction.
About ePrize, LLC:
ePrize is a digital engagement agency specializing in mobile, social media, and web campaigns. Last year, more than half of Fortune 100 companies and many world-class agencies relied on ePrize’s creative, technology and legal services. Since 1999, ePrize has grown into the largest online promotions platform, providing incentive-based promotional and loyalty programs in 44 countries for clients like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, The Gap, HSN, Miller/Coors, Yahoo!, P&G and AT&T. Headquartered in Detroit, ePrize also has offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle. www.eprize.com
About Cellit
Cellit develops mobile customer relationship management (CRM) programs for retailers, restaurants and other companies looking to leverage mobile technology to create a deeper level of customer engagement. The Cellit Studio campaign management platform empowers clients to create interactive mobile CRM programs including coupons, contests, games, surveys and alerts that inform, delight and motivate customers to increase knowledge, loyalty and spending. Cellit Studio seamlessly integrates with client enterprise and point-of-sale technology and provides an easy to implement and measurable way to maximize the potential of the mobile channel. Cellit also provides custom mobile sites and phone apps to some of the largest brands in the world. Headquartered in Chicago, Cellit was recently named to the 2010 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies in the country.
Media Contacts:
Megan Soule
Airfoil PR for ePrize
248.304.1428
soule@airfoilpr.com
